How To Quit Binge Drinking

Binge drinking! There is a major possibility that you’ve never heard this term before, but believe it or not, 1 out of every 6 adults who consume alcohol is a binge drinker. Before getting to know more about binge drinking and how to quit binge drinking, let us first try to understand it.

What is Binge Drinking

Consuming alcohol is the most common type of drug, which is used extensively throughout the world. It is so commonly consumed that people don’t think of it as a drug and do not realize its harmful effects as well. As a result, many of the individuals, drink too heavily at times, or simply binge drink.

Binge drinking is defined as a practice of consuming large quantities of alcohol in a single sitting. For men, it is binge drinking if he consumes five or more drinks in a single sitting, and for women it is four or more drinks in a single sitting.

Facts about Binge Drinking

Let us know about some binge drinking facts:

Statistics suggests that about 90% of the alcohol that is consumed by youths under the age of 21 in the US is in the form of binge drinking.

One in every 6 adults in the US gets involved in binge drinking for about four times in a month.

Binge drinking is very common among those that have a household income of $75,000 or more as compared to others with lower incomes.

Binge drinkers are 14 times more likely to report alcohol-impaired driving than non-binge drinkers.

The prevalence of binge drinking among men is twice in comparison to the prevalence among women.

More than half of the alcohol consumed throughout the world is in the form of binge drinking.

Causes of Binge Drinking

The exact cause of binge drinking is undefined. The reason for binge drinking varies from person to person. However, some of the most common causes of binge drinking are:

Self-confidence: Introverts or shy people who find it very difficult to socialize, often binge drink to feel more self-confident. Alcohol has this certain tendency of making you feel free, and millions of young adults have admitted to the fact that they involve in excessive drinking to eliminate their shy nature and be one among the crowd.

Its Fun: This is one of the most common reasons for binge drinking among youngsters. They love getting together, involve themselves in excessive drinking to shed their inhibitions and set themselves free from the pressure and expectation of the modern society. Binge drinking is very common in youngster parties where a party without alcohol is often termed as a dampener.

Displaying Dominance: This cause is highly responsible for binge drinking in men. Many men believe that consuming excessive alcohol or more than others will allow them to assert their dominance over others.

Solution to Problems: To forget the problems is a common reason, which makes the person get involved in binge drinking. Involving yourself in this habit regularly can make you susceptible to being an alcoholic. As a result, you will always resort to alcohol whenever you face a problem.

Curiosity: Not very common, but curiosity is also a reason for people getting involved in binge drinking. They want to know how it feels like, especially after they hear about the wild night outs from others who are involved in binge drinking regularly.

Weapon to Rebel: Many people, especially youngsters who are not happy with their relationship either with their parents or partners often resort to binge drinking as a weapon to revolt against the others involved in the relation.

Symptoms of Binge Drinking

As with the effects, the symptoms of binge drinking are also different for different people. However, the common symptoms of binge drinking are:

You tend to finish your drink very quickly.

You regularly like to drink more than the defined lower risk guidelines in a single sitting.

You sometimes drink, not to enjoy, but to actually get drunk.

You find it hard to stop, once you start drinking.

Is Binge Drinking Riskier than Normal Drinking

It certainly is! It’s no secret that alcohol consumption can cause some very serious health problems, but binge drinking is even riskier.Some of the negative effects of binge drinking are:

Increases BAL: Consuming large amounts of alcohol in a short span of time will shoot your blood alcohol levels (BAL) through the roof, and can make you drunk much faster.

Causes Heart Attack: Binge drinking also increases the risk of heart attacks. It can easily make you lose control of what you are going to say, making you vulnerable of doing something really dangerous and make risky decisions.

Suffocation: If you are not well while you are involved in binge drinking, you can actually breathe in your own vomit and suffocate.

Affects Memory: Binge drinking affects your memory and mood, which in the long run, can also result in psychological problems.

Increases anti-social behavior: It can also lead to aggressive, anti-social and violent behavior.

How to Quit Binge Drinking with Home Remedies

Binge drinking can be life-threatening due to the physical and psychological risks involved in it. So, remedial measures should be taken to get rid of this bad habit immediately.

If you are searching for ways to quit binge drinking, home remedies are something that have helped millions around the world.

Method 1: Milk Thistle Tea

Milk thistle extracts help in removing the toxins from the body. Apart from reducing the absorption of alcohol by the liver, it also helps in reducing binge drinking effects on the body.

Its consumption also allows you to eliminate the problem of alcohol consumption and stop binge drinking.

Milk thistle is also very beneficial in reducing the amount of bad cholesterol from the body, thus allowing you to reduce the chances of developing a heart-related disorder.

Things You Need:

Milk thistle leaves- 4 to 5

Hot water- 1 glass

Honey- ½ tsp

Muslin bag

Directions:

Crush 4-5 dry milk thistle leaves and put them in a muslin bag.

Steep the bag in about 1 glass of hot water for 5-10 minutes.

Add honey for flavor.

Drink this concoction immediately.

Take this drink 2 to 3 times a day to stop binge drinking gradually.

Method 2: Kudzu Tea

Kudzu has been used since hundreds of years to cure several ailments and treat alcoholism naturally. It has many useful antioxidants and other medicinal properties that treat the damages caused to the liver and organs of the body due to binge drinking.

Regular consumption of kudzu tea allows you to curb alcohol cravings, while also eliminating the side effects caused by alcohol at the same time.

Things You Need:

Kudzu leaves- 4 to 5

Water- 1 cup

Honey- ½ tsp

Wire mesh strainer

Directions:

Simmer 4-5 finely chopped kudzu leaves in a cup of water for about 10-15 minutes.

Strain it with the help of a wire mesh strainer.

Add Honey for flavor.

Consume this tea everyday for about a month to reduce your habit of alcohol consumption.

Method 3: Celery Juice

Celery is a natural source of sugar. One of the most important factors that people involve themselves in consuming alcohol is due to the sugar cravings of the body.

By replenishing the amount of sugar in the body, celery juice allows you to stay away from the alcohol and stop binge drinking gradually.

Things You Need:

Celery- 200gms

Juicer

Directions:

Wash about 200gms of celery to remove any harmful pesticides and soil clinging to it.

Cut the tip and tail of celery, but let the leaves stay.

Cut celery in small pieces in order to fit them in your juicer.

Run the celery in the juicer for about 5-10 minutes.

Drink this celery juice fresh or keep it in the refrigerator for half an hour before consuming.

Regular consumption of celery juice will help you to quit binge drinking.

Method 4: Dates and Water Solution

Dates work in the same way like the celery juice. Date is a rich source of natural sugars, thus it is very valuable in controlling sugar cravings, which can lead to alcohol consumption.

They are also rich in healthy vitamins that will allow you to tackle alcohol cravings, thus will prevent you from involving yourself in binge drinking.

Things You Need:

Dates- 7 to 8

Water- 8 oz

Directions:

Crush 5-6 dates and add to 8 oz. of water in a glass.

Mix thoroughly and drink this mixture 2-3 times a day.

Continue drinking this for about a month to curb alcohol cravings as well as to stop binge drinking.

Method 5: Grape Diet

Naturally detoxifying, grapes contain procyanidolic oligomers (PCOs) that have antioxidant properties. These antioxidants work effectively against the free radicals in the body that are present in the toxins, which enter the body along with the alcohol.

If these free radicals are not neutralized, they can result in severe problems like, cardiac disorders, cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and weakening of the immune system.

By detoxifying the body, grapes help in reducing alcohol cravings, preventing you from getting involved in binge drinking.

Things You Need:

Grapes- 1 to 2 kgs

Directions:

In a grape diet, you are only allowed to eat grapes for about 4 times in a day.

Continue this diet for 4 weeks to curb alcohol consumption.

Method 6: Buttermilk and Bitter Gourd Juice

Plant p-Insulin, charantin, cucurbitane triterpenoids, and other compounds like oleanolic and momordicin acids are the main constituents of bitter gourd, and are very effective in reducing alcohol cravings and finally allowing you to quit binge drinking.

On the other hand, buttermilk is beneficial against dehydration, calming the digestive tract, and helps high blood pressure level.

Moreover, buttermilk and bitter gourd juice is also very effective in treating the damages caused to the liver and kidneys due to alcohol consumption.

Things You Need:

Buttermilk – 1 glass

Bitter gourd- 1 to 2

Blender

Strainer

Directions:

Cut the skin of a bitter gourd and slice it through the center.

Remove the white flesh and the seeds inside.

Now, cut the outer flesh of the bitter gourd into small pieces.

Run them in a blender for about 4-5 minutes.

Filter it with the help of a strainer.

Add this bitter gourd juice to a glass of buttermilk and mix well.

Drink the mixture on an empty stomach in the morning.

Drink this mixture first thing in the morning regularly for a month to quit binge drinking.

Method 7: Cayenne Pepper

Capsorubin, capsaicin, and capsanthin, are three active alkaloids in cayenne pepper. These alkaloids are proven to reduce alcohol cravings and also minimize alcohol withdrawal symptoms, ultimately preventing you from binge drinking.

Moreover, they also have a positive effect on the digestive tract and also help in increasing the appetite.

Nervousness, shakiness, anxiety and irritability that are commonly witnessed as alcohol withdrawal symptoms can also be reduced with the help of cayenne pepper.

Things You Need:

Cayenne Pepper

Directions:

Add cayenne pepper to all the meals you take.

Remember, not to overuse this remedy.

Method 8: Basil and Apple Juice

Apple works as a natural cleanser and helps in eliminating the build-up of toxins in the body due to alcohol consumption. It also has a high content of water, which helps in accelerating the recovery period of organs affected by binge drinking.

Basil is loaded with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It helps the body by neutralizing the free radicals and reduces the damage incurred in alcohol consumption.

Basil and apple juice together help in curbing the alcohol cravings, allowing you to stay away from alcohol and binge drinking.

Things You Need:

Apples – 2 to 3

Basil leaves- 5 to 6

Blender

Strainer

Directions:

Cut 2-3 apples into small pieces.

Add the pieces to a blender.

Add 5-6 basil leaves to the apple pieces.

Blend all the ingredients for about 10 minutes.

Filter it with the help of a strainer.

Drink fresh.

The regular intake of this drink can help you to quit binge drinking.

Method 9: Gotu Kola

This remedy is for people who consume alcohol due to stress, depression or anxiety. Gotu kola’s main effect is on the nervous system.

It calms and soothes the brain, and eliminates the feeling of stress, depression and anxiety, which often result in binge drinking.

Also, consuming gotu kola before going to the bed also allows you good sleep.

Things You Need:

Dried gotu kola leaves powder- 1 tsp

Drinking water- 1 cup

Strainer

Directions:

Add 1tsp of dried gotu kola leaves powder to a cup of water and boil it for 5-10 minutes.

Filter it with a strainer and consume this drink before going to bed.

Drink this tea regularly for about 3-4 weeks to reduce alcohol cravings and quit binge drinking.

Method 10: Ashwagandha Tea

Ashwagandha has been used since thousands of years for treating a wide range of human disorders. It has very powerful antioxidant properties that are considered beneficial for the nervous system. It works in a similar way that of gotu kola by reducing stress and nervousness.

Regular consumption of ashwagandha tea will reduce alcohol cravings, preventing you from getting into binge drinking.

Things You Need:

Dried ashwagandha root- 5 to 8 gms

Water- 2 to 3 cups

Honey (optional) – 1 tbsp

Wire mesh strainer

Directions:

Boil 5-8 gms of dried ashwagandha root in 2-3 cups of water for about 20 minutes.

Now, remove the roots with the help of a wire mesh strainer.

You can also add honey for flavor.

Drink it hot for best results.

Drink this tea for about 3-4 times in a day for a month to stop binge drinking.

Some Additional Tips to Control Excessive Drinking

If you are planning to drink, make sure that you know how alcohol affects you and take measures to prevent any kind of misbehavior.

If you are planning to have a party with friends, make sure that some of your friends don’t drink, in order to drive and look for others.

Decide a pre-set limit to consume the amount of alcohol and never let others pressurize you to drink more.

Know exactly what you are drinking. Nowadays, there are many drinks available in the market that do not taste like strong alcohol at all, but in actuality are very strong.

Drink slowly by taking small sips and do not gulp.

If you are stressed, don’t look up to alcohol as a solution to your problem.

Don’t involve yourself in the practice of consuming alcohol in rounds or shots. They can make you drink more in a small span of time.

It is good to eat something before and while you are drinking. However, do not overstuff yourself with food and also avoid foods that are high in salt as they will make you thirsty.

Don’t only focus on drinking while drinking. Stay busy in other activities, like dancing, games, etc.

While consuming alcohol is bad, binge drinking takes it a step further in every possible way. It is not wrong to have small amounts of alcohol occasionally, but consuming excessive amounts of alcohol on a regular basis can be very dangerous.

Renouncing binge drinking or alcohol altogether can be difficult for most individuals. Don’t be shy to ask for help from family members or professionals as it is a right step in the right direction.

Understand that this habit of yours is not only affecting you, but also the others around you.

Now, you know well how to quit binge drinking. So follow the above mentioned remedies, and eliminate the habit of binge drinking from your life.

Hey all, I am Suzanne, I love collecting new information on natural cure for health ailments. I always feel that nature has remedies for all our health problems, we just have to use it in the right way. I am DIY pursuer and thus keep trying natural things to get rid of nasty diseases. You will be amazed to know about the treasure mother earth has and how it can help us improve our health. Join me in a journey which take you closer to nature and keep you healthy.